1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to beverage dispensers and, more specifically to beverage dispensers that have opaque bodies such that the level of the beverage within the dispenser cannot be seen through the body.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Commercial beverage dispensers of the type with an insulated body that hold substantial quantities of freshly brewed beverage that is dispensed through manual operation of a faucet or actuation of a plunger are well known. If the details of such dispensers are desired, reference should be made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,135,009 issued Oct. 24, 2000; 6,499,628 issued Dec. 31, 2002; 6,637,624 issued Oct. 28, 2003; 6,741,180 issued May 25, 2004; 6,619,507 issued Sep. 3, 2003; 6,702,153 issued Mar. 9, 2004 and 6,820,771 issued Nov. 17, 2004, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Such insulated bodies are opaque such that the quantity of beverage within the container cannot be determined from merely looking at the container, such a in the case of a glass carafe. Accordingly, it has been determined by the inventors that there is a need to provide an electronic level sensor and an electronic display responsive to the level sensor to display the level, or quantity, of the beverage within the dispenser.